Sharp George

George Sharp

George Sharp was from a railway family and was, in his youth, an active trade unionist and leading light in the Young Communist League. He won a council seat his home village of Thornton as a Communist.

Thornton (Thornton High Street is pictured), one of the villages of Fife, Scotland, is situated in between Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes. The village stands between the rivers Ore and Lochty, which are at either end of the main street. The railway connection in his family probably arose from the fact that the local railway station is situated on the Aberdeen to London main line.

Now a quiet backwater, for a long time, Thorton was the largest railway marshalling yard in Scotland, which made it a target for a march of militant miners in 1921 from the red village of Lumphinnans. Perhaps this and the wider mood had some radicalising effect on Sharp and his family, and the local community.

Later in life, Sharp was persuaded to join the Labour Party and went on to be Convener (leader) of Fife County Council.